TPC Celebrates Earth Day
The TPC Network is proud to uphold its unwavering commitment to environmental excellence and sustainability at our golf courses.
All TPC Network properties practice ecologically sound land management and conservation, and many are currently certified or in the process of moving towards certification as Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuaries. TPCs are equipped with sound environmental management plans that cover everything from water conservation and water quality management to wildlife and habitat conservation. Additionally, many TPC properties have won the GCSAA/Golf Digest’s prestigious “Environmental Leaders in Golf Award” on both a local and national level. Carefully designed not to displace local wildlife or damage the environment, our courses both reflect and respect the beauty of their natural surroundings.
As industry leaders in environmental excellence, we wanted to share five facts from the GCSAA and USGA for Earth Day highlighting the golf industry’s environmental stewardship practices.
In honor of Earth Day on Monday, April 22, here are five ways golf courses have shown improvement in the past decade, as documented in the GCEP:
1. Energy use
Annual median energy use at U.S. golf facilities has decreased by 8.3 percent. This was primarily the result of a 31.4 percent decrease in the consumption of electricity since 2008.
2. Nutrient use
U.S. golf courses have significantly decreased overall nutrient use since 2006, including a 34 percent reduction in nitrogen, a 53 percent reduction in phosphate and a 42 percent reduction in potash.
3. Pest management
Golf courses have increased their reliance on non-pesticide pest control practices such as cultural control, plant growth regulators and biological control.
4. Land use
The amount of maintained turfgrass on an average 18-hole golf course has decreased from 99 to 95 acres, with 46 percent of average 18-hole courses having increased natural-area acreage.
5. Water use
Use of recycled water has increased by 32.7 percent. Recycled water now counts for 25 percent of all water used on golf courses, thereby reducing the use of surface, ground and potable water sources.
When playing your next round with the TPC Network, you can be assured that you are playing a course that promotes and practices environmental responsibility at the highest level.
